I love easy recipes, the kind that take a only a few ingredients and are easy to remember.
This yogurt cake is so easy to make and so delicious. It just uses a yogurt cup for the measurements, so you don't even have to dirty your measuring cups. Even better right?
The versatility of the cake is that you can make a simple vanilla cake, you can make chocolate, or even lemon, which I did last week, and was immediately devoured by my lemon loving boys here at home.
So, without any further ado, let's bake.....
Chocolate Yogurt Cake
Ingredients:
1 plain yogurt 170 gr, cup (6 oz)
Now using the same cup, we measure the remaining ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
3 cups of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 eggs
Chocolate chips
Directions:
In a bowl, beat the eggs with the yogurt using a whisk, then add in the oil and sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add in the cocoa powder and mix.
Add the flour, a little at a time, sifting while adding. Lastly, add in the baking powder and mix gently just until combined, don't over mix the baking powder or it may make the cake dense.
Grease the cake pan with butter and cocoa powder, then transfer the cake mix to the pan. At this point, you can pour some chocolate chips over the batter, but it's optional. I like to, just to make it even more chocolaty.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Let cool completely then invert onto cake dish. You can leave the cake as is, and make a simple chocolate frosting to cover the top, or you can cut the cake in half, and use your favorite filling.
For simplicity purposes, I just used some whipped chocolate frosting, that I already had on hand.
Do
you know what Kibbeh even is? I didn't for a long time, but a couple
months ago, I started looking more into Mediterranean cooking, and found
a whole new world of delicious recipes. Kibbeh is one of them, and
funny enough, it is quite popular in Brazil too.
The
traditional Kibbeh is usually made into balls and fried. I am all
about the traditional most common way, but I also love trying the
variations to the more popular recipes, from each country.
Ok
so, first of all Kibbeh is considered to be a national dish from
Lebanon. It's basically a combination of ground meat, bulgur wheat and
spices, and it is absolutely delicious and quite easy to make.
One
thing to keep in mind, there are different types of Bulgur Wheat, you
want to use the fine, although I could only get some medium coarse which
works well too, it just takes a bit longer to soak.
Let me show you....
Oven Kibbeh
Ingredients:
2 cups of bulgur cracked wheat
2 cups of hot water
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
Parsley and Cilantro
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic to taste
Juice from 1 lemon
Sumac, to taste (Sumac has become one of my favorite spices)
In
a big bowl add the bulgur wheat, pour over the hot water. Cover with
plastic wrap and let it soak for about an hour. Should be long enough
to hydrate the wheat.
After
the hour has passed, give the wheat a good stir to loosen it. To the
same bowl, add the meat, onion, parsley and cilantro to taste, butter,
salt and pepper, garlic, lemon juice, sumac and aleppo pepper. Mix
well.
Drizzle
a little olive oil in a baking dish, I used a 13x9 inch. Take half of
the kibbeh meat mixture and pat down into the dish. Next, cover the
mixture with some cream cheese, and then shredded mozzarella. Take the
remaining kibbeh and pat down on top of the cheese. (I find it
easier to grab handfuls of the meat mixture, at a time, and then pat it
down on the palm of my hand, then place it on top of the cheese, that
way it's not pulling off the cheese.)
Take
a knife or dough scraper, and make a diamond pattern on top. I just
make diagonal lines one way, then come back the other way. You don't
have to go all the way down to the bottom of the dish, you basically
just want a small dent to drizzle on more olive oil.
Once
done, drizzle some olive oil across every line, then bake in a 375 F,
for about 35 minutes. Keep an eye on it, if you overcook it, the kibbeh
will dry out. I just check after 25 minutes, and if there's a lot of
liquid in the pan, I pour it out and then pop it back in the oven for
the last 5 minutes.
I have recently been on a journey, to find and try different recipes from all over the world. My background is quite diverse, I am Portuguese, born in Africa, my greatgrandparents on my father's side were Brazilian, the ones on my mother's side were all from Portugal, Madeira and Azores. We have French ancestors too.
But having lived in South Africa my entire childhood, also opened up my palate to African food. So I am quite blessed to enjoy so many different cultures with so many wonderful recipes.
Loving food the way I do, also means that I am very much interested in trying dishes from all over the world, and sometimes, something simple as watching a series or movie from a different country, and seeing the food they're eating, is enough to make me want to try.
I have recently (over the past few months), become completely obsessed with Turkish shows. So of course, seeing what they eat, has peeked my curiosity into the food they eat. The whole Mediterranean cuisine itself is very appealing to me, Fresh ingredients, healthy food, lots of vegetables, delicious street food, and the flatbreads? Yum!!!
So today, I am bringing the first of many recipes I've been trying, and loving recently.
The Turkish Flatbread Pizza, known as Pide.
The Pide originated in the city of
Samsun, in the Turkish Black Sea region, and has been a favorite since
1725. The flatbread is shaped into a boat, or a flat American football,
if that helps you visualize it, then filled with a variety of delicious fillings, from beef, to cheese, to spinach....yum!
This
was my first attempt at making these, so although they were absolutely
delicious, I wasn't thrilled with the final look. It takes a bit of
practice to make sure the Pide doesn't open up, and stays flat around
the edges.
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this recipe, it is a great alternative to your usual Friday night pizza.
The
recipe I'm sharing with you, is from one of my favorite Turkish channels on Youtube. I just love Aysenur, she is such a sweet lady and
shares so many wonderful recipes. Be sure to give her a follow.
25 gr. fresh yeast or 1 tbsp active dry yeast (use dry yeast according to packet details)
1 tbsp sugar
about 5 to 5+1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
PIDE TOPPINGS: (You can adjust the amount depending on which pide you want more)
MINCED MEAT TOPPING (This is enough for about 8 pides)
1 medium-size onion
2 sweet green peppers
1 medium-size red capia pepper
1 tomato
2 cloves of garlic
250gr. ground beef (%30 fat would be ideal if you can get it)
1 tsp salt and ground black pepper
if the meat doesn’t have much fat add 3-4 tbsp olive oil
SPINACH TOPPING/ FILLING (for 3 pide)
1 small onion
two handfuls of fresh washed and pat dried spinach
1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper
CHEESE TOPPING (use as much as pide you want) Turkish white cheese (crumbled) shredded kashar or mozzarella cheese
How to make Turkish Pide
Prepare the simple yeast dough:
In a mixing bowl add lukewarm water, yeast, sugar. Disolve the
yeast or use according to package. Add most of the flour amount along
with salt and knead adding more flour if needed until it is smooth and
elastic.
Cover and let it rise until almost doubled in size
Toppings:
Traditionally we use a special knife to chop veggies and minced meat
together. But it is easier to make it in a food processor. You can
choose whichever you like.
For minced meat topping: In
a big size food processor process onion, red and green pepper until it
is chopped in small cubes. Add peeled tomato, salt, black pepper, red
pepper and tomato pastes and minced meat. Process pulsing until
everything is chopped and mixed well. If the minced meat doesnt contain
much fat you can drizzle a little bit olive oil.
For spinach filling:
Proccess onion with washed and dry spinach leaves, salt and pepper
pulsing until everything is chopped (don’t make it very small) While
fill it you can alternately add crumbled Turkish white cheese (or feta)
or kashar, mozarella cheese (Check the video)
Cheese and Sujuk topping: (use as much as pide you want) Turkish white cheese (crumbled) shredded kashar or mozzarella cheese
Shaping The Pide:
Rolling Turkish pide dough
Classic Open Pide Shape (Açık pide)
Heat the oven to highest setting (about 230 to 250C). Cut the
risen dough into 12 pieces and shape them round. Cover the ones you
don’t use with a damp clean kitchen towel or freezer bag so they don’t
get dry.
Roll
out one piece in a lightly floured surface into a oblong shape that can
fit to your baking try. Place then to the try that is lined with baking
paper. Add generaously from the minced meat filling (about two full
tbsp) on top leaving 1cm space in sides. Spread evenly with back of a
spoon or your hand.
Fold the sides of the pides inside and press them well.
Pinch
the ends and seal. Hold from the corners and strech a bit more as far
as it can fit to your tray and place it back. Brush the sides with egg
yolk and bake until sides and bottom has nice golden color.
My sweet boy, turned 20 years old on the 11th of April.
I have always made my kids birthday cakes, I don't think I've ever bought them a cake at the store, or maybe once? Although I can honestly say, I don't remember ever doing it.
But anyway, some of their cakes I decorate with fondant, and some with icing, and then some are just plain cakes, it all depends on what they request for that year.
For his 20th, he just wanted me to make one of his favorites, which is pound cake. That's it, a simple pound cake, no parties, no big get togethers, nothing, just a cake and dinner with dad and mom, and his sister.
So that is what I did.
I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite cakes too. I much prefer a simple, plain cake, to one that is slathered in frosting and icing.
Set
out the butter, eggs, and cream cheese to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Move one oven rack to the center of
the oven and remove any racks above it.
Pull
out a standard 12-cup capacity bundt pan. Grease the bundt pan with
extra butter or shortening, then scoop 1/4 cup sugar into the pan and
shake it around until the fat is well coated in sugar. Dump out any
excess sugar. Set aside.
Place
the softened butter and cream cheese in the bowl on an electric. Beat
on high until the mixture is totally smooth. Scrape the bowl with a
rubber spatula, then add the remaining 2 3/4 cups sugar. Beat on high
again for 3-5 minutes to cream the ingredients until very light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl again.
Turn
the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder,
and salt. Then slowly add the flour a little at a time, until fully
combined. Once the batter is smooth, turn off the mixer, as to not
overmix the batter.
Scoop
the batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack for 80-90
minutes. After 80 minutes, test the cake by inserting a toothpick deep
into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, take the pound cake
out of the oven.
Let the cream cheese pound cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully flip the cake onto a platter or baking rack.
I wanted to bring you a
recommendation for a pretty inexpensive dish, that you can definitely
stretch and serve to a crowd, or make it even for just one or two
people. It's up to you.
It uses very few ingredients, but the result is delicious and filling and just ooohhhhh. Love it ♥
This
recipe or rather this dish, is from Brasil and it's known as Buraco
Quente. It's usually made with ground beef, but you can certainly use
beef, or chicken or smoked sausage which is what I used for mine.
If I have to translate exactly, word
for word, to English, it means Hot Hole, and I don't know about you
all, but that does not sound appealing at ALL when talking about food.
LOL
So, I just call them Stuffed Sandwiches. Much better!
This is one of those sandwiches that your family will love, and will be talking about for a while. The fact that it's so easy to make and you can change it up, using whatever meat you have on hand, is even better.
Smoked Sausage Stuffed Sandwich
Buraco Quente de Linguica
Bread Rolls (I made some of my french bread sub rolls, and cut them in half)
Drizzle of olive oil
1 package smoked sausage
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
parsley and cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
oregano to taste
1 can Media Crema (table cream)
Shredded cheese
In
an oven proof dish, take each roll, cut a small piece off the bottom so
that it stands flat. Place the rolls in the dish, then take a small
knife and cut out the inside, creating a hole. Don't leave the edges
too thin, or it will fall apart when you fill it with the meat mixture.
In
a saucepan, add a little bit of olive oil. Dice up the smoked
sausage. I cut it into slices, then cut those slices in half then half
again, creating little cubes. Saute them in the olive oil, then add the
onion and garlic and cook for a minute or two until the onion is
translucent.
Season with salt and pepper and
oregano, add the cilantro and parsley to taste, stir well to combine,
then add the can of media crema, give it another good stir and remove
off the heat.
Fill each sandwich with some of the sausage mixture, then add a sprinkle of shredded cheese of your choice.
Pop into the oven for a minute or so until the cheese is melted, then serve immediately.
